Ask a Simple Question part 19: Titan-Bloodline Pixie Ubercharger edition

[kevin_video]

Q 207 Is there a list somewhere of what does and doesn't count as associated and non-associated classes for monsters? This includes PrCs. I know about ranger and fighter, and a few other classes that should be +1, but I'm reading that for a succubus two levels of fighter only increases their CR by +1 because they don't like to fight. That rogues and bards would be a straight up +1, etc.

No list.  Just eyeball it.

Basically: if the class helps the monster do what it already does, it's associated.  If it doesn't, it's nonassociated.

So if your monster makes a sucky cleric, at least you get twice as much sucky cleric for the same price.

What about when it says it's a favored class, but still doesn't look like it'd help very much? Like in Savage Tides there's a Succubus bard/thrall of Malcanthet. I thought for sure both would be associated classes, but the PrC wasn't. Despite it giving bonuses to her skills, and everything that makes a succubus what it is (it even turns you into a succubus at lvl 9 if you aren't one already), plus adding to her bard class's dominance and suggestion abilities, it was still only 1/2.

[sir_argenon]

Q208: theres a thread that tells ways to get different class abilities and such, like evasion or mettle for instance.   i cant seem to find it... help?

[cru]

Lists of Stuff? http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=2546

[X-Codes]

B. I think it is calculated separately for each casting class. It's not really an ongoing effect, since it can't be dispelled, etc. So you can't really invoke the stacking rules.

Since it's not an ongoing effect, it shouldn't have memory of which class/CL/etc. casts the spell.

Let's say you're Wiz 1/Clr 3/MT 6, so your Wizard level is 7, Cleric level is 9.  No Practiced Spellcaster.

Cast Animate Dead from your Wizard 7 side to animate 10 HD of undead, you now have 10/28 HD of undead under your control.

Cast Animate Dead from your Cleric 9 side to animate 15 more HD of undead, you now have 25/36 HD of undead under your control via Animate Dead.  There's no check to see if it was your Wizard side or Cleric side casting the spell the first time.

Cast Animate Dead from your Wizard 7 side again to animate 10 more HD of undead.  This is where it gets weird, as you now either have 35/36 HD commanded or 35/28 HD commanded, and have to choose and let go of 7 HD of undead previously commanded.  By my interpretation, I think the latter actually happens.

[Shiki]

Q 209: Assuming Psicrystal get feats, would a Psicrystal taking something like Psionic Body or Improved Toughness gain more HPs or it'll still have "hp 1/2 master's"?

[Maat_Mons]

Q183:  Any cool luck-themed magic items, or items that could be changed easily to be luck/fortune themed?
The ones I've found are the luckstone and blade and then the bevy of "re-roll this 1/day" ones.  But, I was wondering if there was something else useful. 

Here are some:

• Complete Champion: Bracers of divine luck, robe of the vagabond, sandals of the vagabond
• Races of Faerun: Catseye broach
• Epic Level Handbook: Robes of resisting enchantment (page 305)

I'm surprised a +5 luck bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects only costs 6,250 gp. 

[kevin_video]

agabond[/li]
[li]Races of Faerun: Catseye broach[/li][/list]

Also in MIC.

[wotmaniac]

This question is more of a time/precedence issue (though, a bit of semantics is involved):
Q210
Can an Arcane Disciple (cleric variant from drag.mag.311) use his "arcane-to-divine" class feature to gain Arcane Fusion?

Here's the deal -- the ability says "may choose one arcane spell from either the bard or sorc/wiz spell list".  However, this pre-dates the very concept of "sorcerer-only" spells by 3 years.  Additionally, while it is a sorcerer-only spell, it does appear on the sorc/wiz spell list (albeit with the noted exception).

So, basically, is there anything that addresses this precedence? 

[kevin_video]

Q 211 How would you go about making a magic item of Wraithstrike, permanent? Or can you with it only being 1 round. Can you even make it into an item?

[McPoyo]

This question is more of a time/precedence issue (though, a bit of semantics is involved):
Q210
Can an Arcane Disciple (cleric variant from drag.mag.311) use his "arcane-to-divine" class feature to gain Arcane Fusion?

Here's the deal -- the ability says "may choose one arcane spell from either the bard or sorc/wiz spell list".  However, this pre-dates the very concept of "sorcerer-only" spells by 3 years.  Additionally, while it is a sorcerer-only spell, it does appear on the sorc/wiz spell list (albeit with the noted exception).

So, basically, is there anything that addresses this precedence? 

Well, there is that one spell in core that is on the sor/wiz list that says in the spell description it's usable by prepared casters only. I cannot think of it's name right now.

[Maat_Mons]

Rary's mnemonic enhancer and Mordenkainen's lucubration. 

[jameswilliamogle]

Q 211 How would you go about making a magic item of Wraithstrike, permanent? Or can you with it only being 1 round. Can you even make it into an item?

A 211 The rules compendium under activating magic items clarified that spell trigger items only take the same action as the spell to activate them.  You might still have problems because of drawing said wand.

A 211 Formally, there is nothing in the rules saying that you can't use metamagic spell trigger feat / class ability upon a wand or wraithstrike.  Also, there's rules for adding metamagic feats to spells during creation.

Be careful, though.  This is an arms race with your DM, and if he decides to escalate, you can't win.

Q 212: If I have a psicrystal, is there an official statement somewhere that they get feats?

[wotmaniac]

This question is more of a time/precedence issue (though, a bit of semantics is involved):
Q210
Can an Arcane Disciple (cleric variant from drag.mag.311) use his "arcane-to-divine" class feature to gain Arcane Fusion?

Here's the deal -- the ability says "may choose one arcane spell from either the bard or sorc/wiz spell list".  However, this pre-dates the very concept of "sorcerer-only" spells by 3 years.  Additionally, while it is a sorcerer-only spell, it does appear on the sorc/wiz spell list (albeit with the noted exception).

So, basically, is there anything that addresses this precedence? 

Well, there is that one spell in core that is on the sor/wiz list that says in the spell description it's usable by prepared casters only. I cannot think of it's name right now.

Rary's mnemonic enhancer and Mordenkainen's lucubration. 

yeah, those ('ed)

so the answer to the first part would be "yes"?

thanks.

[E-mail]

Q213:

This came up in a game I ran last night, in which a player were playing a PHB2 knight; Is an opponent flat-footed against an attack of opportunity?

[McPoyo]

A213 an AoO on it's own doesn't cause someone to be flat-footed. I can't think of anything right now that would allow someone to be flat-footed when provoking an AoO, though, unless they had been feinted.

[snakeman830]

Q 209: Assuming Psicrystal get feats, would a Psicrystal taking something like Psionic Body or Improved Toughness gain more HPs or it'll still have "hp 1/2 master's"?

The HP would remain the same (1/2 masters)

Q 212: If I have a psicrystal, is there an official statement somewhere that they get feats?

Not that I'm aware of, but WotC never put out anything saying otherwise either.  If they even touched the subject, I think it was in a Sage article, and that usually sticks to the RAW as opposed to FAQ or CustServ.

[kevin_video]

Q 211 How would you go about making a magic item of Wraithstrike, permanent? Or can you with it only being 1 round. Can you even make it into an item?

A 211 The rules compendium under activating magic items clarified that spell trigger items only take the same action as the spell to activate them.  You might still have problems because of drawing said wand.

A 211 Formally, there is nothing in the rules saying that you can't use metamagic spell trigger feat / class ability upon a wand or wraithstrike.  Also, there's rules for adding metamagic feats to spells during creation.

Be careful, though.  This is an arms race with your DM, and if he decides to escalate, you can't win.

That won't be a problem. It's just coming up with the math. The DM said if I could figure it out, he'd allow me make gauntlets of wraithstrike. So they'd be a swift action to activate, but what about cost? It's spell level x caster x 2000 x Y (days .5/hours 1/10 minutes 1.5/minutes 2/rounds 4, per level). Wraithstrike is 1 round. That's it. I'm think it'd be easier just to have it be charges per day.

[Sunic_Flames]

It would be x4, so 48,000 gold and a swift action to Wraithstrike every round. That's actually a bit expensive, keeping in mind every gish can do it for free, or at least less gold as a matter of course and beatsticks need Nice Things. Well unless you're Aelryinth, then auto negate gimps for 48k is something to cry about.

[kevin_video]

It would be x4, so 48,000 gold and a swift action to Wraithstrike every round. That's actually a bit expensive, keeping in mind every gish can do it for free, or at least less gold as a matter of course and beatsticks need Nice Things. Well unless you're Aelryinth, then auto negate gimps for 48k is something to cry about.

Ouch, that is expensive. Or 9600 per charge. Hmm. I don't see how every gish could do it for free though, because not every gish made is a wiz/sor.

[Rebel7284]

It would be x4, so 48,000 gold and a swift action to Wraithstrike every round. That's actually a bit expensive, keeping in mind every gish can do it for free, or at least less gold as a matter of course and beatsticks need Nice Things. Well unless you're Aelryinth, then auto negate gimps for 48k is something to cry about.

Ouch, that is expensive. Or 9600 per charge. Hmm. I don't see how every gish could do it for free though, because not every gish made is a wiz/sor.

Depends on how one defines gish.